Thursday a man accused of abusing his autistic son appeared before a judge at the Angelina County court house. Thirty-year-old Russell Gorsuch was arrested in July of 2012 for allegedly injuring his 5-year-oldMore >>

Thursday a man accused of abusing his autistic son appeared before a judge at the Angelina County court house. Thirty-year-old Russell Gorsuch was arrested in July of 2012 for allegedly injuring his 5-year-old son by pulling him off the top of a bunk bed.More >>

Lufkin Police have arrested a man accused of injuring his autistic five-year-old son by pulling him off the top bunk of a bunk bed to the floor in July.Russell Allen Gorsuch, 30, of Lufkin, is chargedMore >>

Lufkin Police have arrested a man accused of injuring his autistic five-year-old son by pulling him off the top bunk of a bunk bed to the floor in July.More >>

On Tuesday, an Angelina County judge approved a plea bargain by the Lufkin
man who injured his autistic son when he yanked him down off the top of a bunk
bed in July 2012.

As a result, Russell Allen Gorsuch, 31, faces a 2-year prison sentence.
Gorsuch appeared in Judge Barry Bryan's 217th Judicial District Court Monday
morning, a little more than a month after he pleaded guilty to a state-jail felony
charge of recklessly injuring a child.

At that time, Bryan said that he wanted to review Gorsuch's criminal record
before he approved the plea bargain.

Elmer Beckworth, a prosecutor with the Angelina County District Attorney's
Office, said Gorsuch could opt to file for shock probation. Beckworth said
whether or not Gorsuch gets placed into shock probation instead of having to
finish out the remainder of his prison sentence depends on his conduct between
now and then and whether he is willing to accept the conditions that will come
with the shock probation.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Gorsuch took his son to a
Nacogdoches doctor on July 19. The doctor noticed severe bruising on the back
and buttocks of the child and asked Gorsuch what happened. Gorsuch did not give
a good answer and the doctor called Child Protective Services, according to the
affidavit.

A Lufkin Police detective began investigating the case and interviewed the
child's parents, who denied knowledge of how the child got the bruising,
according to the affidavit. The detective reported having a second interview
with Gorsuch on Aug. 7 and he admitted to causing the injuries by grabbing him
by the arm while he was on the top bunk and pulling him off the bed. The child
struck the floor.

According to the affidavit, Gorsuch admitted he gets frustrated with the
child, who is severally autistic and cannot communicate, and he "slings
him around toward the chair" and he plops him down hard on his chair,
which can cause injuries.

Lufkin Police spokesman Det. JB Smith said officers
arrested Gorsuch at the CPS office, located at 1210 S. Chestnut Street. Smith
said an employee said Gorsuch was in the lobby and cursing at other people in
the lobby. The responding officer verified Gorsuch had a warrant and placed him
under arrest.

In a previous East Texas News story, Lara Squires,
the executive director of Harold's House said when parents can't communicate
with their kids, it often leads to frustration and the possibility of the
parents acting out in anger.

She stressed that with any children, communication is
the key to proper discipline, adding that it becomes even more important when
the child is autistic.

"The child is living an overwhelming and
disorganizing world anyway, and they have a very difficult time
communicating," Squiers said.

Early childhood educators have been emphasizing the skill of coding to younger and younger age groups. Friday. Dunbar Primary School revealed that they're joining the trend by teaching their kindergarten and 2nd grade "Gifted and Talented" classes coding and technology skills, through toys, activities, and games.

Early childhood educators have been emphasizing the skill of coding to younger and younger age groups. Friday. Dunbar Primary School revealed that they're joining the trend by teaching their kindergarten and 2nd grade "Gifted and Talented" classes coding and technology skills, through toys, activities, and games.